Lessons from the Field: ICTs in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Digital Dividend Analysis, November 2004.
The establishment of an active small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector has been identified as crucial to attaining long-term and sustainable economic growth for developed and developing countries alike. In emerging economies, increasing the viability of SMEs is now central to many overall economic development strategies. Within the context of the global, knowledge-based economy, many projects are using information and communication technologies to help initiate, support, and facilitate SME development.

Todito.com & ePaid: Innovative Remittance and e-Commerce Tool
Digital Dividend "Quick Look" Case Study, September 2004.
Mexico’s Todito.com seeks to engage the low- and middle-income Mexican market through ePAID, an innovative remittance and e-commerce tool developed by eCatalystOne. ePAID facilitates low-cost money transfers between workers in the United States and family in Mexico. By allowing people to ship goods to friends and family in Mexico, ePAID eliminates the need for hard cash transfers. For those who do wish to transfer cash, there are small, affordable fees. In addition to ePAID, Todito.com is one of Mexico’s leading providers of pre-paid Internet cards, an innovative payment mechanism that opens the telecommunications market to low- and middle-income Mexicans. Although eCatalystOne originally intended ePAID to be primarily an e-commerce tool, its cash-based functionality facilitated its evolution into a remittance instrument.

Lessons from the Field: The "Tech" in Technology-for-Development - Part II
Digital Dividend Analysis, July 2004.
Previous Digital Dividends' Lessons from the Field articles have surveyed ICT-for-development through the lens of traditional development sectors such as health, agriculture, and microfinance. This feature shifts the focus slightly to see the ways that affordable computing and connectivity are being brought to underserved populations. Part two of this series features an analysis of the innovative ways that connectivity is coming to previously unwired areas.

Lessons from the Field: E-Government
Digital Dividend Analysis, July 2004.
E-Governance is defined as "the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the Internet to streamline and improve government processes and enhance the internal and external communications of government." The capability to design and deliver both front- and back-end systems in the developing world is a function of a number of factors that vary from country to country. This analysis provides an overview of current initiatives in developing countries that are pursuing e-government strategies through practical, innovative applications.

Lessons from the Field: The "Tech" in Technology-for-Development - Part I
Digital Dividend Analysis, June 2004.
Previous Digital Dividends' Lessons from the Field articles have surveyed ICT-for-development through the lens of traditional development sectors such as health, agriculture, and microfinance. This feature shifts the focus slightly to see the ways that affordable computing and connectivity are being brought to underserved populations. Part one of this series will look at affordable computing and the ways that processing power is finding its way to less developed countries.

Lessons from the Field: ICTs and Handicrafts
Digital Dividend Analysis, July 2003.
In communities throughout the developing world, independent artisans create art and crafts that reflect local culture, history, and tradition. For years before the advent of the "digital age," these artisans marketed their wares primarily through middlemen, who charge artificially low prices before marking up prices and shipping them to upscale boutiques overseas. However, with the spread of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT), these artisans now have a competitive alternative.

Lessons from the Field: ICTs in NGO Capacity Building
Digital Dividend Analysis, June 2003.
Civil society and non-government organizations are playing a major role in determining the way people use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to build societies free from poverty and oppression, where knowledge and information are used by all sectors of the population for their economic, social, cultural, and political development. Several initiatives are demonstrating how such organizations can utilize ICTs both to increase efficiency and empowerment in their own work and to provide services to local, national, and international communities.

Lessons from the Field: ICTs and Women's Empowerment
Digital Dividend Analysis, March 2003.
Throughout much of the developing world, gender discrimination makes it especially difficult for women to access and benefit from ICTs. Unless women are actively involved in the planning and use of new information technologies, there is a risk that ICTs will serve to reinforce, rather than overcome, gender inequalities. Recognizing the importance of women using ICTs, many projects are incorporating gender analysis to address women's access, participation, and determination of how such technologies are designed and deployed.

PEOPlink
Digital Dividend Project Spotlight Feature, January 2002.
Do developing country artisans have a role to play in the global e-commerce revolution? PEOPlink thinks so. Its software and support are helping artisan groups set up shop on the Web-and increase sales by as much as 40%.

ViaSebrae: E-Commerce Solution for Small Businesses in Brazil
Jason P. Hekl and Carlos Waack. Digital Dividend Business Case Study, June 2001.
The ViaSebrae platform has enabled Brazilian small businesses to undertake e-commerce initiatives they could not otherwise afford. Click here for an executive summary